Saint Paulinus Catholic Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 December 2022

Pupils at Saint Paulinus School embody the school's mission statement 'Love one another as I have loved you'. They know that it means to love and help everyone around them. There are eight shared values chosen by pupils and staff that underpin the mission statement. These values are reflected in everything that pupils do. Every day, in each class, teachers select a pupil for compliments. This helps to celebrate pupils' talents and build their self-esteem. Leaders make sure that pupils understand the steps in the new behaviour policy. These steps help pupils to manage their behaviour well. This ensures that the school environment is calm and purposeful. Pupils know what bullying is. Pupils are clear that adults will sort it out if it happens. Staff develop routines in the early years that help children to concentrate and focus on their learning and play. Staff enable pupils to take part in wider aspects of school life. Pupils are active in the community and their support for Saint Paulinus Church. They participate in Mass and sing at other church services. Pupils in Year 6 experience an outdoor adventure residential. This helps to build their resilience, confidence and social skills.

What the school should improve

• There is some variation in how well staff provide extra help to pupils when listening to them read. This means that some pupils receive conflicting guidance when reading. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the skills to support pupils with a structured, consistent approach to reading.
• Teachers do not check what pupils have learned in the wider curriculum well enough. This means that they do not have a clear picture of how well pupils learn the intended curriculum. Leaders should work with teachers to develop more effective ways to check that pupils are learning the intended knowledge and skills across all subjects.
• The quality of the targets set to help pupils with SEND make progress varies. Some pupils do not have targets that are specific enough to meet their needs. This makes it difficult for teachers to consistently provide the right support. Leaders should check that the targets on the support plans are accurate to help ensure that pupils make swift progress.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)